King Luhuang of the Ming Dynasty: My father, Ming Taizu

Li Shanchang sat restlessly in his study, anxiously waiting for news.

Time passed minute by minute, but no one came back to report.

The ominous premonition in his heart became stronger and stronger, as if an invisible hand was tightly strangling his throat, making it difficult for him to breathe.

Finally, just as daybreak was about to break, a man in black, covered in blood, stumbled in.

"Old...Master..."

The man in black looked pale and breathed weakly, obviously seriously injured.

"How's it going? Is everything done?"

Li Shanchang stood up suddenly, grabbed his shoulders and asked in a hurried tone.

"Master... we... we failed..."

After the man in black said this with difficulty, he fell to the ground and fainted completely.

"what?!"

Li Shanchang felt as if struck by lightning. He stood there in a daze, his face as pale as paper.

Although he anticipated that Zhu Tan had a group of elite soldiers and generals under his command, he never expected that the death squad he painstakingly arranged would be wiped out.

"Trash! They are all a bunch of trash!"

Li Shanchang was so angry that he slapped the mahogany table with his palm, and a crack appeared on the fine sandalwood table.

"Master, please calm down and take care of yourself!"

The old butler at the side was so frightened that he tried to persuade her in a trembling voice.

"Calm down? How can I calm down?"

Li Shanchang's eyes were red, and he gnashed his teeth and said, "Now that Zhu Tan, that little bastard, has come to kill me, I'm afraid my life will be in his hands!"

The old housekeeper was also at a loss, as anxious as an ant on a hot pot:
"What should I do? What should I do?"

After all, Li Shanchang was an old fox who had experienced many storms. After a brief panic, he forced himself to calm down.

At this point, fear and anger are of no use, the best thing to do is to get out of it as quickly as possible.

"Quick! Go pack up your gold and silver and prepare the carriage to go to the dock!"

Li Shanchang acted promptly, and the experience he had accumulated over the years in dealing with crises allowed him to find a glimmer of hope in the desperate situation.

"Master, you want to..." The old butler looked at him in surprise.

"Don't ask so many questions, just do as I say!"

Li Shanchang shouted sternly.

The old housekeeper did not dare to be negligent and immediately asked the servants and maids in the mansion to pack up the valuables.

Li Shanchang hurried back to his study and took out a bundle from the secret compartment, which contained the gold and silver bills he had collected over the years, as well as several priceless night pearls.

After doing all this, Li Shanchang took the old butler and several trusted servants and hurriedly slipped out through the back door under the cover of night.

At Yingtianfu Wharf, it was late at night and deserted. Only a few dim oil lamps were swaying in the cold wind, illuminating the dark water, making the scene seem even more desolate.

When Li Shanchang and his party arrived at the dock, an inconspicuous small boat was already docked there.

The boatman was a thin man with a full beard. When he saw Li Shanchang and others coming, he just nodded slightly and didn't say much.

"Old man, the boat is ready, please come in."

The old butler helped Li Shanchang walk tremblingly onto the boat and spoke in a low voice.

Li Shanchang looked back at the brightly lit Yingtian City, and a trace of reluctance and resentment flashed in his eyes.

Just this one walk.

From now on.

All that wealth and glory had nothing to do with him anymore.

But he knew better that staying would lead to death.

"Let's go to Champa. As long as we can survive, it will be fine."

As for his son or daughter.

Later, you can regenerate!
Although he is already in his seventies.

But Li Shanchang did not think that his glory days were over.

He gritted his teeth.

He slowly boarded the boat.

However, just when Li Shanchang thought he had escaped, a fire suddenly lit up on the dock, illuminating half of the sky.

"Li Shanchang, where are you going!"

A loud voice exploded in Li Shanchang's ears like thunder, making his eardrums buzz.

Li Shanchang looked up suddenly and saw a young man in a dragon robe standing on the dock. There was a sneer on his lips and his eyes were as sharp as an eagle, staring at him intently.

It’s Zhu Tan!

Li Shanchang suddenly felt as if he had fallen into an icy cave. A chill arose from the bottom of his heart and cold sweat instantly soaked his back.

Behind Zhu Tan stood a dense group of people, they were the elite troops led by Lan Yu.

They were all holding swords and were full of murderous intent. They surrounded Li Shanchang and made it impossible for him to get out.

When Li Shanchang saw this scene, he felt a black screen before his eyes and almost fainted.

but.

After all, he is an old hand, and even though he is extremely frightened at the moment, he remains expressionless.

"Your Highness Prince Lu, I am a founding hero of the Ming Dynasty and rank first among all officials! What do you want to do by leading your troops to surround me in such a grand manner?"

"And, if I remember correctly, you are now under house arrest by His Majesty, right?"

"Now, appearing here, is it a contempt for the emperor's authority?"

Upon hearing this, Zhu Tan burst into laughter, his laughter full of disdain and ridicule:
"Li Shanchang, at this point, do you still want to play dumb? You colluded with Japan to assassinate my father. Do you really think I don't know?"

"What nonsense!"

Li Shanchang's eyes widened in anger, he pointed at Zhu Tan's nose and yelled:
"You are such a liar! I am loyal to the Ming Dynasty, and the sun and the moon can testify to that. How can I allow you to slander me like this?!"

"Loyal? Humph!"

Zhu Tan sneered and took out nine pieces of evidence signed by Zheng Xiao from his sleeve:

"Look for yourself what this is!"

Li Shanchang's heart skipped a beat, but his expression remained unchanged. He stiffened his neck and said:

"I have made great contributions to the Ming Dynasty. How could the emperor listen to slander and punish me? This must be a forgery!"

"Forgery?" Zhu Tan sneered, "Who do you think you are? Do you think you are worthy enough for me to forge evidence to arrest you?"

Li Shanchang was speechless for a moment.

He rolled his eyes and suddenly pointed his finger at Lan Yu standing beside him, pointing at his nose and cursing:
"Lan Yu! As a general of the imperial court, you don't properly guard the border, but hang out with Prince Lu, and even lead troops to trespass into the dock. Are you planning a rebellion?!"

Upon hearing this, Lan Yu flew into a rage. He drew out his sword from his waist with a clang, pointed at Li Shanchang and shouted:
"Li Shanchang! You old bastard! You still dare to spit blood at me when you are about to die! I will chop you to death today!"

As he said this, Lan Yu was about to rush forward with a knife.

Li Shanchang swallowed his saliva.

He knew that today's incident would not end well, and the only chance of survival was to escape from here as soon as possible.

"Humph! I don't want to waste my time talking to you!"

Li Shanchang snorted coldly, turned around and shouted at the boatman:

"Sail! Sail quickly!"

The boatman was trembling with fear, but when he heard Li Shanchang's order, he felt as if he had been pardoned and hurried to untie the ropes.

"Want to leave? Not that easy!" Seeing this, Lan Yu shouted angrily, jumped up and jumped onto the boat.

He grabbed Li Shanchang by the collar, lifted him up, and held him in his hand like a chicken.

"Lan Yu! What...what are you going to do?!"

Li Shanchang was frightened out of his wits and struggled desperately, but how could he be a match for Lan Yu?

Lan Yu sneered, threw Li Shanchang in front of Zhu Tan, and said sarcastically:

"Li Shanchang, you have worked so hard to climb to the position of Duke, but now you have ended up like this. It is really sad and lamentable!"

Li Shanchang no longer had the majesty he once had. He slumped on the ground, his face pale and his eyes dull, as if he had aged ten years in an instant.

Zhu Tan looked down at Li Shanchang, his eyes full of disgust and contempt:
"Li Shanchang, you have planned everything, but you missed one step. Do you think you can really conceal what you did?"

Upon hearing this, Li Shanchang suddenly raised his head, with a glimmer of hope in his eyes:
"Your Highness Prince Lu, I...I know I was wrong! Please, forgive me this time! I am willing to give up all my property, just begging you to spare my life!"

Zhu Tan sneered, slowly squatted down, looked at Li Shanchang, and said word by word:

"Li Shanchang, do you think that I care about your dirty money?"

"If you want money, you can have it all in Japan."

"What this king wants is your life. Don't you understand?"

Zhu Tan didn't waste any more words with Li Shanchang. In his eyes, this greedy and cunning old fox was already a walking corpse.

He stood up and brushed off his robe with disgust, as if it were stained with something dirty.

"take away!"

Zhu Tan spat out two words coldly, his tone full of unquestionable majesty.

Lan Yu understood what he meant, and he picked up the limp Li Shanchang and dragged him out of the dock like a dead dog.

……

The next morning, golden sunlight filled the palace.

In the solemn and dignified Fengtian Hall, civil and military officials had already stood on both sides according to their ranks.

Waiting for the morning court to begin.

Zhu Yuanzhang sat on the dragon throne, his majestic eyes sweeping over the ministers in the palace.

An invisible pressure spread out, making everyone dare not even breathe.

"If you have something to report, please come forward. If not, please dismiss the court." The eunuch's shrill voice echoed in the silent hall.

What follows is a routine report.

The Minister of Revenue reported on this year's tax situation.

The Minister of War reported the military situation on the border.

The Minister of Industry reported on the progress of the water conservancy project...

Zhu Yuanzhang just listened expressionlessly, occasionally asking a few questions, but his tone revealed an unconcealable fatigue.

Just as Zhu Yuanzhang was about to announce his retirement, a loud voice suddenly rang out in the hall:

"Father, I have something to report!"

The sudden sound made the originally lifeless hall feel as if a stone was thrown into it, causing a thousand waves.

Everyone looked in the direction of the voice and saw Zhu Tan, wearing a dragon robe and a jade belt around his waist, striding into the hall.

"King Lu?!"

"Why is he here?"

"Isn't he grounded?"

Civil and military officials were whispering and talking to each other, their eyes filled with surprise and confusion.

Zhu Yuanzhang frowned slightly and looked at Zhu Tan with some displeasure.

This kid is lawless all day long and has no rules at all!

aside.

Crown Prince Zhu Biao shook his head helplessly. His tenth brother was always like this, doing things impulsively. This time he would inevitably be punished by his father.

Zhu Tan ignored everyone's reactions. He walked straight to the center of the hall, knelt on the ground, and said loudly:
"I want to impeach the Duke of Korea, Li Shanchang!"

As soon as these words were spoken, the entire hall fell silent.

Everyone was stunned, as if they had been acupunctured, and could not move.

Impeach Li Shanchang? !

This is the Duke of Korea, a founding hero who is second only to the emperor!

Moreover, the person who was impeached was Prince Lu, who always played by his own rules!

This...what is going on? !
Zhu Yuanzhang was also shocked by Zhu Tan's sudden action. He sat up straight, stared at Zhu Tan with lightning eyes, and asked in a deep voice:
"What are you going to impeach Li Shanchang for?!"

"I want to impeach the Duke of Korea, Li Shanchang, for colluding with Japan and plotting to murder Your Majesty!"

Zhu Tan said this in a resounding voice, his tone filled with anger and determination.

"what?!"

"How can this be?!"

"What nonsense!"

Zhu Tan’s words were like a thunderclap, exploding in the hall!

All the civil and military officials were in an uproar, whispering to each other, with expressions of shock and disbelief on their faces.

Colluding with Japan and plotting to murder the emperor is a capital crime punishable by the extermination of nine generations of the clan!
Li Shanchang was a founding father and held a high position of power. Why did he do this?
Moreover, the person who impeached him was Prince Lu, who had always been at odds with him. Could there be any misunderstanding here?
For a moment, all kinds of speculations and discussions spread in the hall, and the atmosphere became extremely tense and weird.

Zhu Yuanzhang's expression also became very ugly. He stared at Zhu Tan closely, with complicated light flashing in his eyes.

He knew that with Zhu Tan's character, he would never speak without a purpose, so he must have a basis for saying so.

"How dare you!" Zhu Yuanzhang slammed the dragon chair and shouted angrily, "Do you know what you are talking about?!"

Zhu Tan met Zhu Yuanzhang's gaze without fear and said in a deep voice:

"Father, everything I say is true. I would never dare to lie!"

"Humph! Empty words, who would believe it?!" Zhu Yuanzhang said angrily, "Do you have any evidence?!"

"Reporting to the Emperor, I have evidence!"

Zhu Tan said as he pulled out a thick stack of papers from his sleeve and held it high above his head. "This is the evidence that Li Shanchang colluded with Japan that I collected overnight. I hope your Majesty will understand!"

"Present it!" Zhu Yuanzhang said in a deep voice.

A young eunuch hurried forward, took the stack of papers from Zhu Tan, and then carefully presented it to Zhu Yuanzhang.

Zhu Yuanzhang took the stack of papers and read through them carefully.

As time went by, Zhu Yuanzhang's expression became more and more ugly, his brows furrowed tighter and tighter, and the hand holding the paper couldn't help but tremble slightly.

The atmosphere in the hall became increasingly oppressive, and you could hear a pin drop.

Everyone held their breath, not daring to breathe, for fear of disturbing Zhu Yuanzhang.

After an unknown amount of time, Zhu Yuanzhang finally finished reading the paper in his hand.

Zhu Tan continued:
"Father, in addition to physical evidence, I also have witnesses!"

"The Kujo Masataka was intercepted by me at the dock last night, and Li Shanchang is planning to send him out of Ming."

"As long as we meet this Kujo Masataka, everything will become clear!"

Zhu Yuanzhang's face now looked terribly ugly.

Of the old brothers around him, only Li Shanchang, Xu Da and Tang He are left.

But I didn't expect that Li Shanchang... (End of this chapter)